New and Improved (The Spinners album)

New and Improved is the fifth album by American R&B group The Spinners, released in December 1974 on the Atlantic label. Like the Spinners' two previous Atlantic albums, New and Improved was produced by Thom Bell and recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.

New and Improved
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 1974
StudioSigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GenreR&B
Length34:56
LabelAtlantic
ProducerThom Bell
The Spinners chronology
Mighty Love
(1974)
New and Improved
(1974)
Spinners Live!
(1975)
The Spinners studio albums chronology
Mighty Love
(1974)
New and Improved
(1974)
Pick of the Litter
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB[2]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((1-star Honorable Mention))[3]

History

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New and Improved became the Spinners' third consecutive R&B albums chart-topper and reached #9 on the Billboard 200, their first top 10 album on this chart. The album includes "Then Came You", featuring Dionne Warwick and the group's only single to top the Billboard Hot 100 (it was denied the top spot on the R&B chart by Kool & the Gang's "Higher Plane"), and the top 10 R&B singles "Living A Little, Laughing A Little" and "Sadie" – the latter track was covered by R. Kelly on his 1993 debut solo album 12 Play.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sitting on Top of the World"Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons4:42
2."Smile, We Have Each Other"Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes, Joseph B. Jefferson4:30
3."Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick)Sherman Marshall, Phillip Pugh3:59
4."There's No One Like You"Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes4:16
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Living a Little, Laughing a Little"Thom Bell, Linda Creed5:03
6."Sadie"Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, Charles Simmons5:26
7."Lazy Susan"Linda Creed, Thom Bell3:34
8."I've Got to Make It on My Own"Charles Simmons, Bruce Hawes3:26

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1974) Peak
[4]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 9
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 1
Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions
US
[4]
US
R&B

[4]
US
A/C

[4]
UK
[5]
1974 "Then Came You" 1 2 3 29
1975 "Living a Little, Laughing a Little" 37 7
"Sadie" 54 7

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hamilton, Andrew. New and Improved review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Hull, Tom (May 31, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "US Charts > The Spinners". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  5. ^ "UK Charts > Detroit Spinners". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
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